Filament actuated vehicle

ABSTRACT

A wheeled toy vehicle including a drive assembly which comprises a monofilament line having one extremity connected to a manually operable control means and the opposite end connected to the running gear of the vehicle. The dimensions and configuration of the monofilament line is such as to transmit rotation of the line about its own longitudinal axis, caused by activation of the control means, directly to the running gear which may comprise a drive axle and/or one or more drive wheels. Connecting means may attach the one extremity of the line to a predetermined outer portion of an axle or wheel by means of forming a socket therein correspondingly shaped to at least partially enclose a finger attached to the extremity of the line means cooperating therewith. Alternately, a finger can be connected to the extremity of the drive axle and be disposed so as to be enclosed within a socket formed within a sleeve which is connected to the extremity of the line and comprises another embodiment of the connecting means.

United States Patent 1 Winston 1 Jan. 15, 1974 FILAMENT ACTUATED VEHICLE Emanuel A. Winston, 190 A Skokie Valley Rd., Chicago, Ill. 60035 [22] Filed: July 10, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 269,954

[76] Inventor:

Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Robert F. Cutting Iiitbr ny Stein, ()Triian 84 Fisher [57] ABSTRACT A wheeled toy vehicle including a drive assembly which comprises a monofilament line having one extremity connected to a manually operable control means and the opposite end connected to the running gear of the vehicle. The dimensions and configuration of the monofilament line is such as to transmit rotation of the line about its own longitudinal axis, caused by activation of the control means, directly to the running gear which may comprise a drive axle and/or one or more drive wheels. Connecting meansmay attach the one extremity of the line to a predetermined outer portion of an axle or wheel by means of forming a socket therein correspondingly shaped to at least partially enclose a finger attached to the extremity of the line means cooperating therewith. Alternately, a finger can be connected to the extremity of the drive axle and be disposed so as to be enclosed within a socket formed within a sleeve which is connected to the extremity of the line and comprises another embodiment of the connecting means.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Pmimmm 15 1914 37851782 FIG! FILAMENT ACTUATED VEHICLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a toy surface traveling vehicle of the type actuated by a remote control device connected to the running gear of the vehicle such that power utilized to-move the vehicle is transferred from the control means to the running gear by means of a line directly interconnecting the control means and the running gear.

2. Description of the Prior Art Various vehicle type toys such as airplanes, helicopters, motorcycles, automobiles, boats and the like, which are designed either to move over a surface or through the air, exist in the prior art and are commercially available. In designing such toys it is highly desirable to provide a sturdy, relatively uncomplicated structure including a drive assembly capable of providing the desired motion of the vehicle. Toys of this type must be both sturdy and uncomplicated since they will be subjected to rather severe treatment when in the hands of small children. While simplicity of structure is obviously desirable from an economic standpoint it is also necessary that such toys be capable of high performance in order to be popular with children and therefore be attractive from a commercial standpoint. It is obvious therefore that the manufacturers and designers of conventional or prior art mobile toys encounter the problems of providing an inexpensive, durable toy of relatively simple structure but yet capable of performing efficiently under abusive conditions.

In an attempt to make such toys more popular from a marketing standpoint, a number of prior art designs have extenuated the performance features of the toy. However, the majority of the prior art mobile toys which features increasedperformance characteristics have resorted to relatively complex drive assemblies which have the effect of raising the costs while making such toys less durable. In many cases it has become apparent that the more complicated drive assemblies are unsatisfactory since they readily break down, thereby necessitating repair or rendering the toy inoperative and useless.

A number of popular prior art designs have utilized the well known Bowden wire structure which is attached to a remote control device in such a manner as to transfer power from the device to a gear assembly mounted on the interior of the vehicle which in turn is connected to a drive wheel or axle. Vehicle having this type or similar drive assembly structures are disclosed in the U. S. patents to: Schliederer U.S. Pat. No. 1,739,614; Moore U.S. Pat. No. 1,796,157; Moore U.S. Pat. No. 1,866,477; Muller U.S. Pat. No. 2,161,971 and Muller U.S. Pat. No. 2,667,721. While these patents are representative of known prior art structures they all suffer from problems directly associated with unnecessarily complicated drive assemblies. This is true because of the operation of the Bowden wire. According to the inventions disclosed in the above patents. it necessitates the control assembly activating a relatively complicated gear assembly in each of the vehicles rather than acting on the drive wheel or axle directly.

Therefore, it can be seen that there is a need in the mobile toy industry for a simplified drive assembly which is durable, inexpensive to manufacture and maintain, delivers high performance and yet is easily operated by children of all ages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a mobile toy which may be in one of many configurations including an automobile, motorcycle, or any surface traveling vehicle controlled or operated by a control device which may be disposed at a point generally remote from the toy vehicle itself. More particularly, the subject invention relates to a drive assembly which includes a line means, preferably a monofilament line having sufficient structural stability or rigidity to accomplish resulting rotation of one extremity due to selective rotation of the opposite extremity about the longitudinal axis of the line. In the present invention one extremity of the line is connected directly to a control means which may be in the form of a manually operable crank means. While many conventional crank assemblies or manually operable control devices may be utilized, any simple rotatable shaft fixedly attached to the cooperating extremity of the line and mounted rotationally within a handle or the like will suffice. The primary purpose of the control device is of course to impart rotation to the associated extremity of the line.

The opposite extremity of the monofilament line is connected directly to at least one extremity of the driving axle associated with the driving wheels of the vehicle. This attachment is accomplished by a connecting means which may be in the form of a cap threadedly or otherwise connected to the outer extremity of the drive axle. A stop member in the form of a circular flange or the like is connected to the extremity of the line and is arranged in sandwiched-like fashion between the outer extreme of the axle and the inner bearing surface of the caps. In addition, a finger means, having a square configuration is positioned within a correspondingly configured socket formed integrally in the extremity portion of the axle.

An alternate embodiment of the present invention includes the connecting means being in the form of a sleeve having a socket formed therein which has a configuration corresponding to that of a second finger means defining the extremity of the drive axle and integrally attached thereto. This sleeve structure further includes a cup member for at least partially enclosing the extremity of the line. Both the finger and the sleeve and the cup and the extremity of the line may be fixedly attached to one another by means of an adhesive or any applicable connecting means.

While the subject invention has been described and disclosed with reference to the monofilament power transfer line being connected directly to the outer extremity of the axle, it is further contemplated within the scope of this invention to attach the line to the central hub of a driving wheel or wheels by a structure similar to that of the connecting means described above. When utilizing this embodiment the subject invention still has the inherent advantage of connecting the line directly to the driving elements or running gear itself rather than transferring the power to the drive elements through a gearing arrangement as is shown in the prior art.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side plan view of the vehicle with the control means attached.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the line means.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of one embodiment of the connection means.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 taken along lines 44.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view showing another embodiment of the connecting means.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taking along lines 6-6 of FIG. 5.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is directed to a drive assembly for a toy vehicle which is generally indicated as D in FIG. 1 could take the form of an automobile or the like. More specifically, the drive assembly is designed so as to be attached directly to the running gear which in the instant disclosure comprises drive wheel or wheels 12 mounted on a drive axle 14. As is normally the case the axle 14 is substantially centered at the hub of each of the wheels. It is contemplated within the scope of this invention however for the drive assembly to be connected directly to the wheel itself rather than to the hub or extremity 16 of the axle.

The drive assembly itself comprises a line means 18 which may be in the form of a monofilament line specifically dimensioned to have sufficient rigidity or structural integrity to allow one of the extremities of the line to rotate upon rotation of the opposite extremity. As shown in FIGS. 3 and extremity 20 of line 18 is attached to a connecting means generally indicated as 22 in FIG. 3. An alternate embodiment of the connecting means is generally indicated as 24 in FIG. 5 and will be discussed in detail hereinafter. Again referring to FIG. 3 the connecting means comprises a cap member 26 being internally threaded as at 28 wherein cap 26 may be threadedly fastened onto the extremity of axle 14. A stop member 30 is positioned in sandwichedlike relation between the extreme outer surface of axle l4 and the bearing surface 34 of cap 26. In addition a first finger means 36 is correspondingly configured to the interior configuration of socket 38 such that finger means 36 is at least partially enclosed thereby and at this point joins the extremity of axle 14.

As shown in FIG. 4 the cross sectional configuration of both finger means 36 and socket 38 are such as to fixedly engage the finger means 36 to the axle 14 when the filament is rotated.

Another embodiment of the present invention includes the connecting means generally indicated as 24 in FIG. 5 which includes sleeve means 40 having an interior socket 42 which is configured to correspond to the configuration of second finger means 44. More specifically the finger means 44 is disposed so as to partially define the extremity of axle 14 as shown. By virtue of the fact that the socket 42 and finger means 44 are correspondingly configured, the finger means 44 is at least partially enclosed by sleeve 40 to establish a fixed connection between sleeve 40 and axle 14 as the connecting means 24 rotates. A cup means 46 is provided on the other end of sleeve means 40 relative to socket 42 as is in axial alignment therewith. This cup is configured to have extremity 20 of line 18 mounted therein as shown. An adhesive substance or the like 48 may be used to help secure finger means 44 within socket 42 and also extremity 20 within cup 46.

FIG. 6 further emphasizes the corresponding configurations of both second finger means 44 and socket 42. It should be emphasized that while the configuration of the finger means and the cooperating socket means in both of the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 6 are shown as being generally square or rectangular, any applicable configuration could be used and still come within the intended scope of the invention.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the control means is generally indicated as 50 and comprises a handle 52 rotatably connected to activating shaft 54. Similarly, a grip 56 is rotatably mounted on an oppositely disposed portion of shaft 54 as shown. The extremity 58 of line 18, shown in broken lines in FIG. 1, is fixedly attached to shaft 54 in any applicable manner as through a conventional connector 60. By this arrangement rotation of shaft 54 relative to grip 56 causes extremity 58 of monofilament line 18 to rotate along with shaft 54 since it is fixedly attached thereto. As stated above, by virtue of the dimensional and configurational characteristics of monofilament line 18, rotation of extremity 58 will cause the entire monofilament line 18 to rotate about its longitudinal axis thereby in turn causing extremity 20 to similarly rotate at the same rate as extremity 58. By virtue of extremity 20 being connected to the connecting means (FIGS. 3 and 5) and further due to the fact that the connecting means interconnects line 18 to the drive axle 14 (or drive wheel 12) the axle -will be forced to rotate thereby propelling the vehicle 10 either forwardly or rearwardly depending on the direction of rotation ofline 18. It is to be understood that the term wheel" refers not only to a solid disc or a circular frame connected by spokes to a central hub, capable of turning on a central axis and used to move vehicles, but also to any device similar to a wheel in its shape, movement or action such as, for example, the crawler tread of a tractor.

It will thus be seen that the objects made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description are shown in the accompanying shall be illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Now that the invention has been described,

What is claimed is:

1. A wheeled toy vehicle drive assembly of the type to be used in combination with a running gear of the toy vehicle, said drive assembly comprising: control means including rotating means connected to said running gear in remote relation thereto, line means interconnected between said rotating means and said running gear and comprising a single, unsheathed, monofilament line structured to rotate about its own longitudinal axis, said monofilament line including sufficient rigidity to cause rotation of a drive axle, said running gear including said drive axle and wheels secured thereto, connecting means mounted adjacent at least one extremity of said axle in interconnecting relation between said line means and said running gear, whereby manipulation of said control means activates said running gear.

2. A driving assembly as in claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprises a cap structure fastened adjacent to said one extremity of said axle; stop means at tached to said line and interposed between said cap and said one axle extremity.

3. A drive assembly as in claim 2 further including a first finger means fixedly connected to said line means and configured to lockingly engage said axle upon rotation of said line means.

4. A drive assembly as in claim 3 further including socket means formed in said axle adjacent said axle extremity, said socket correspondingly configured relative to said finger means, whereby rotation of said first finger means causes rotation of said axle.

5. A drive assembly as in claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprises sleeve means connected to said axle means and fixedly attached to said line means, a second socket means formed in said sleeve'means and correspondingly configured to at least partially enclose said one extremity of said axle, whereby rotation of said line means causes rotation of said running gear.

6. A drive assembly as in claim 5 further comprising a second finger means substantially defining said axle extremity and configured correspondingly to said second socket, the configuration of both said second finger means and said second socket means being such as to fixedly connect one to the other upon rotation of said connecting means.

7. A drive assembly as in claim 1 wherein said rotating means comprises a manually operable crank assembly, said line means having one extremity attached to said one axle extremity, whereby rotation of said line means causes rotation of said axle. 

1. A wheeled toy vehicle drive assembly of the type to be used in combination with a running gear of the toy vehicle, said drive assembly comprising: control means including rotating means connected to said running gear in remote relation thereto, line means interconnected between said rotating means and said running gear and comprising a single, unsheathed, monofilament line structured to rotate about its own longitudinal axis, said monofilament line including sufficient rigidity to cause rotation of a drive axle, said running gear including said drive axle and wheels secured thereto, connecting means mounted adjacent at least one extremity of said axle in interconnecting relation between said line means and said running gear, whereby manipulation of said control means activates said running gear.
 2. A driving assembly as in claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprises a cap structure fastened adjacent to said one extremity of said axle; stop means attached to said line and interposed between said cap and said one axle extremity.
 3. A drive assembly as in claim 2 further including a first finger means fixedly connected to said line means and configured to lockingly engage said axle upon rotation of said line means.
 4. A drive assembly as in claim 3 further includiNg socket means formed in said axle adjacent said axle extremity, said socket correspondingly configured relative to said finger means, whereby rotation of said first finger means causes rotation of said axle.
 5. A drive assembly as in claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprises sleeve means connected to said axle means and fixedly attached to said line means, a second socket means formed in said sleeve means and correspondingly configured to at least partially enclose said one extremity of said axle, whereby rotation of said line means causes rotation of said running gear.
 6. A drive assembly as in claim 5 further comprising a second finger means substantially defining said axle extremity and configured correspondingly to said second socket, the configuration of both said second finger means and said second socket means being such as to fixedly connect one to the other upon rotation of said connecting means.
 7. A drive assembly as in claim 1 wherein said rotating means comprises a manually operable crank assembly, said line means having one extremity attached to said one axle extremity, whereby rotation of said line means causes rotation of said axle. 